Trying to Break 100

[Frank559]

My putting average stays close to 2 per hole, but when it creeps a bit higher it's generally because of lackluster chipping and then less than ideal lag putts. Chipping for appropriate distances is definitely something I need to keep working on.

Great point. Chipping and pitching probably next most important for me. If you can chip and pitch it close, that will really up your chances of 1 or 2-putting.

 

[charley48]

You don't have to hit driver off the tee on the first hole. Why not try a fairway wood or even an iron?

The problem with that is, I'm so inconsistent with those clubs I can easily shank those on the first tee too. I just have to find a way to get warmed up before a round. If I hit some practice balls I won't drive that tee shot into the ground. I may or may not hit the fairway on the first tee but at least its in the air. I still haven't figured that out.

I went to the range a few days ago, took out the driver on the first hit, promptly hit a grounder. Its weird. Next shot is up in the air just fine. Whenever I go out to hit balls I only have one shot to try and figure it out because it won't do again for the rest of the session. My son in law thinks its in my head now. If so, how do you get it out of your head?

If I have time for warm up balls its fine. I don't have that problem. Its when I get a call and the tee time is less than an hour away. By the time I get there, get my clubs out and shoes on, there's no time for practice first.

 

[charley48]

Ok, so I got a call this morning. Tee time is plenty of time to get there early to warm up. Lets see how that goes. At the range I've been focusing on keeping the front foot planted through the swing. It definitely helps keep my upper body from coming up too soon. The other day at the range I also focused on finishing the follow through with the driver. Making sure it almost hits my back. I finished the bucket with ten straight driver shots. Every one woulda been straight enough to hit most fairways. The last two were the best. But I was fully warmed up and getting in a groove for that swing. On the course it isn't as easy. Especially on the fairway.

 

[ryang13]

Had my swing analysis and first “lesson” this afternoon. After hitting about 20 or so balls and getting some data on the Trackman (mostly a huge right miss that’s punished me all year) he had me make some grip adjustments and a tip to start opening the club face on the backswing. Was hard to wrap my head around it at first and struggled with the resulting low left miss at times but was able to wrap up the lesson with some real consistent left fairway shots. Lots to practice through the weekend to try to build in some good habits.


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[Annhl8rX]

I just got done with 18 in perfect weather (basically no wind, sunny, and 75 degrees). I started off with a par thanks to a chip from about five yards off the green that left me with a tap in. The rest of the front nine was pretty good aside from my putting. I hit the turn with a 47.

Unfortunately in the back nine I posted quadruple bogeys on numbers 11 and 17 for a 56 on the back and a 103 total.

Putting has killed me the last two rounds. I had seven 3 putts today and one 4 putt. I seem to have settled into a routing of just missing greens, then not getting my chip shot in the same zip code as the hole. I can’t seem to leave myself a manageable putt even by dumb luck.

 

[brian7770]

I just got done with 18 in perfect weather (basically no wind, sunny, and 75 degrees). I started off with a par thanks to a chip from about five yards off the green that left me with a tap in. The rest of the front nine was pretty good aside from my putting. I hit the turn with a 47.

Unfortunately in the back nine I posted quadruple bogeys on numbers 11 and 17 for a 56 on the back and a 103 total.

Putting has killed me the last two rounds. I had seven 3 putts today and one 4 putt. I seem to have settled into a routing of just missing greens, then not getting my chip shot in the same zip code as the hole. I can’t seem to leave myself a manageable putt even by dumb luck.

My chipping needs to be better also. Leaving myself with a possible 1 putt more often would certainly help.

 

[Annhl8rX]

My chipping needs to be better also. Leaving myself with a possible 1 putt more often would certainly help.

I’d be happy to leave myself with a two putt. Unfortunately, these days it seems like I have to be inside a dozen or so feet for a two putt to even be a possibility.

 

[tehuti]

The course was a soggy mess today and they shut down holes 10-13 due to flooding. So it was just a practice round.

Better than nothing, I guess. But just barely.


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[Maric]

Due to the heat I didn't get a lot of golf in this summer. Fall golf is gearing up here and so am I. Lots of work to do on my woods.

 

[JonMA1]

My chipping needs to be better also. Leaving myself with a possible 1 putt more often would certainly help.

I’d be happy to leave myself with a two putt. Unfortunately, these days it seems like I have to be inside a dozen or so feet for a two putt to even be a possibility.

I am halfway between the two. I have a lot of confidence around the green (other than the bunker). I'm no longer satisfied in just getting on the green, my goal is hitting a spot that will get me close to the pin. I'm not there yet, but it's next on my to-do list.

 

[JonMA1]

Due to the heat I didn't get a lot of golf in this summer. Fall golf is gearing up here and so am I. Lots of work to do on my woods.

I envy those living in a climate like SC. I love Fall golf, even though it pretty much marks the end of the season up here. It's not that I mind the heat, it's more because the cooler weather drives others away and being out there in the colors while playing a round never seems to get old.

 

[charley48]

Sigh, I think maybe I should accept wherever I'm at now is probably as good as its gonna get. I spend plenty of time on the practice range working on my game. You would think I'd be better by now. I'm pretty much able to break 100 every time now. But not much better. 90 just seems so far out of reach. Contact with any ball aside from the driver is inconsistent. Sometimes I hit too far behind the ball. Sometimes I hit on the edge of the toe resulting in push slices. Sometimes its solid contact but a hard left pull.

I shot a 97 the other day. The good news is, that is the first time in an 18 hole round I had no triple bogeys or worse. The bad news is, one birdie and one par. The rest bogeys and double bogeys. Mostly double bogeys. I did regain my driver swing. Hit every fairway on the back nine. I missed 4 of 7 on the front. I just decided I should swing like the old man I am. Longest drive was only around 220. But in the fairway. It was the second shot that did me in most times.

I feel like the range time isn't doing me any good at this point. But I'll probably keep going out there. I do enjoy being out there. Especially this time of year when the weather is nice. What I use the range for is keeping my muscles in shape for the golf swing. So I suppose I'll keep going out there. I just need to revise my expectations. I'm trying too hard to be a better golfer. Maybe that isn't in the cards for me. Maybe I'm just supposed to have fun out there and not worry about the score.

 

[Maric]

I have been extremely lucky because most of my range time is either spent in small clinics (2-3 people) or the Pro is in between lessons and comes over to give me some pointers. He knows my swing and limitations so can readily spot any issues. My normal range routine is wedge warm-up, then work my way up the bag with either even or odd numbered clubs. I try to finish with "playing" three holes - one shot each with driver, fairway wood, Hybrid then wedge. I learned early on that having a specific target for each swing helps me to concentrate.

 

[charley48]

Well, I finally broke down and let the instructor at the range help me. I'm a regular there and we've gotten to know each other. So I figured I'd shell out a few bucks for a couple lessons. He had to promise me he wouldn't try and re-invent the wheel. It would be hard for me to start from scratch at this point.

He did say although he wouldn't recommend it for anyone else, that I shouldn't change anything with the driver. It seems to be working for me. He did recommend swinging a little easier. It seems like I can hit it straight 7 times outta ten with only maybe 5 to 10 percent distance loss when I swing easier. 210-220 in the fairway is better than 240-250 in the trees.

He had me work on a certain grip with the irons and utility woods. Which I wasn't too sure about. But he also had me reduce the length of the backswing and make it more shallow. That seemed to make a big difference. I had to experiment on the grip. I was far strong with it before. Seems like the shorter irons do best with a neutral grip while the longer irons and utility woods do better slightly stronger. But nowhere near as strong a grip as before. I was hitting cleaner and further with those clubs. I did have a tendency to pull left until I zeroed in on the grip.

Now I know that when I find something that seems to work well at the range, it doesn't always repeat when I go back out there. And it doesn't always transfer to the course. But he felt I was in the right direction with the changes. He recommended I spend a few more range sessions working on the changes before I take it to the course. And he said he'd watch me from the window and if I'm having trouble he'll see if he can figure it out.

So I'm hopeful that maybe this time I can get over that hump and get close to 90. After the 97 last round I resigned myself to thinking this was as good as its ever gonna get. Now I'm back to excited again. Crossing my fingers. I'm headed back to the range tomorrow.

 

[tehuti]

I had a minor breakthrough today. 49/49 98 at Willowick. I play off the green tees at just over 5,700 yards. I am still struggling with my distance hitting driver, so this was a test since this course has more par 5s and longer par 4s than I normally play.

Playing there again on Thursday. So we’ll see if the trend continues.


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[TxAggie2018]

It was an executive course and I wasn't keeping score, but my round yesterday might have been my best golf ever. I was striking my irons more consistently than I can ever remember. The greens where I was playing were 10-15 yards wide, and I was hitting them consistently from 120-160. When I missed them, it wasn't by much. A guy in the group behind me saw a tee shot, and was like "damn, you're kind of a sniper with those irons."

Biggest swing takeaways for me from practicing the last couple weeks.

• Forward shaft lean. This is probably half the reason I was thinning so many iron shots earlier.
• Bury my weight on my left leg. I know you are supposed to get a good weight shift, but I can't do that consistently yet. Still need to practice that feel. Right now, I am just pre-loading on my left side and leaving it there.
• Divot in front of the ball. I literally aim at a spot an inch in front of the ball and hit there.

I also had a lob wedge I've probably put too much time into learning, definitely too much for my overall game, but it was paying dividends yesterday as I was pulling off some pretty wild pitches consistently. It saved a couple pars. My confidence level is way up with that club.

Weaknesses are still driving - my slices are down but plenty of score-exploding misses are still there - and putting, where I just can't read breaks or I see breaks that aren't there.

It would be fun to play on a full length 18 hole course... I shot 108 last time I went out, and I wasn't striking irons nearly as well as I was yesterday.

 

[tehuti]

Back to normal. After finally breaking 100 at Willowick on Sunday, for the first time ever, I melted down on the back 9 and shot a 103 today. Self inflicted. My game was just off.


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[tehuti]

Well I see why I am not getting any distance with my driver. I couldn’t find the sweet spot to save my life on the range. If I tee it high I hit it off the crown. The rest were off the heel or hosel.

It’s time to get a swing coach.

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[charley48]

Well I see why I am not getting any distance with my driver. I couldn’t find the sweet spot to save my life on the range. If I tee it high I hit it off the crown. The rest were off the heel or hosel.

It’s time to get a swing coach.

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Typical for a high handicapper to have trouble hitting the sweet spot. I don't hit it very often either. But I love my Cobra driver with the adjustable loft. I've hit it closer to the toe and still go straight. When I walk up to the ball I look back at the tee box and how far I am from the green. And I think "Its not much different than the one I hit the sweet spot with a couple holes back". That driver is 4 years old. I'll keep it till it falls apart. I love it.

 

[tehuti]

Typical for a high handicapper to have trouble hitting the sweet spot. I don't hit it very often either. But I love my Cobra driver with the adjustable loft. I've hit it closer to the toe and still go straight. When I walk up to the ball I look back at the tee box and how far I am from the green. And I think "Its not much different than the one I hit the sweet spot with a couple holes back". That driver is 4 years old. I'll keep it till it falls apart. I love it.

You’re right. But for some reason I have REALLY been mishitting it in the last 2 or 3 weeks. I hope it’s just a phase.

Normally I hit it great at the range. But lately I am lucky to hit 2 solid shots out of 10.


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[charley48]

You’re right. But for some reason I have REALLY been mishitting it in the last 2 or 3 weeks. I hope it’s just a phase.

Normally I hit it great at the range. But lately I am lucky to hit 2 solid shots out of 10.


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Speaking of the range, I can say this. I'm a good range golfer. I hit a lot of good shots. I simulate holes at my home course. I score well enough assuming I two putt each hole. I've simulated a whole 18 round before. But when I take it to the course its a different story.

You would think the time I spend at the range I'd be a lot better. I think I'm gonna have to accept where I'm at now is as good as its gonna get. But thats ok. I enjoy playing. I enjoy a couple hours at the range. I just enjoy being out there. If I'm always going to be a high handicapper, so be it. I can live with that.

 

[Snickerdog]

Well I see why I am not getting any distance with my driver. I couldn’t find the sweet spot to save my life on the range. If I tee it high I hit it off the crown. The rest were off the heel or hosel.

It’s time to get a swing coach.

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Since most are concentrated on the heel you are just a bit to close to the ball, your swing is coming inside and that is causing the heel strikes. Wherever you are setting up to the ball just move it towards the toe slightly and it will fix it.

 

[Snickerdog]

Has been awhile since I checked in, sorry but work has gotten in the way. Hope everyone is doing well and playing some better golf from the looks of things.

 

[charley48]

Since most are concentrated on the heel you are just a bit to close to the ball, your swing is coming inside and that is causing the heel strikes. Wherever you are setting up to the ball just move it towards the toe slightly and it will fix it.

So if the majority of my misses are closer to the toe does that mean I'm a little too far from the ball? I noticed if I'm too close I can hit the sweet spot more often but it tends to pull left. It can be hard to find that happy medium when it comes to alignment.

 

[jsavoie88]

So if the majority of my misses are closer to the toe does that mean I'm a little too far from the ball? I noticed if I'm too close I can hit the sweet spot more often but it tends to pull left. It can be hard to find that happy medium when it comes to alignment.

I agree. As a fellow high handicapper, I know how tough it is to be consistent in alignment. For me, I would rather be in the toe than on the heel. You can play shots in the toe, but you can’t play from the heel.


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